India: Delhi police closing the investigation case filed against those who harassed and threatened Rana Ayyub.

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August 8, 2020, New Delhi, India -- The Coalition For Women In Journalism is appalled by the decision of Delhi police to shut down the investigation against 18 different twitter users who used death and rape threats and pornographic content to intimidate journalist Rana Ayyub.

In April of 2018 Rana lodged a complaint about her face being morphed on a body of another woman in a pornographic video and the abuse that followed on social media. 

In her complaint, Ayyub said that she had discovered that a statement — “minor child rapists are also human” — was being falsely attributed to her and widely shared on Twitter. 

“Consequent to this, most of the Twitter users were sharing it along with extremely abusive, derogatory, threatening, violent, sexually offensive comments about me and open and direct threats to kill me and harm me were also being given on social media,” she told the Huffington post. 

That same day, Ayyub discovered that her face was morphed on a woman in a pornographic video that was being widely circulated on social media. Facebook users, she said in her complaint, sent the complete sexually explicit pornographic video to her inbox. 

“I have never felt so scared, fearful, degraded and humiliated before. By transmitting and publishing the obscene and pornographic video and using the same to target, attack, malign and threaten me, my life limb and liberty has been jeopardised and my privacy and dignity is being violated.” she wrote of the vicious attacks.

Following the silence of the authorities, Rana took her complaint to the UN Special Rapporteur.

On 24 May 2018, United Nations released a statement saying  "Government of India should ensure the safety of journalist Rana Ayyub, and take immediate action against those who threaten rape, murder". In their statement, five UN Special Rapporteurs wrote to the Modi government, asking the government to bring about an end to the vicious culture of online trolling targeting journalists critical of the authorities in India.

Earlier in July this year Rana also took to Twitter to expose death and rape threats she was facing following her coverage on Kashmir. 

One of the threats read “Remember what happened to Gauri Lankesh”. Gauri, an Indian journalist turned activist was murdered brutally in September 2017. She was killed while she was returning to her home after her day at work. At least eight bullets were fired at the journalist, of which three hit her in the head, neck and chest, killing her on the spot.

In a letter dated 8 July, 2020, the Delhi Police told Rana said that “despite efforts the culprits could not be identified yet and therefore the investigation of the case is being closed and an ‘Untraced Report’ is being filed.” 

Rana spoke of the inaction of the authorities, calling it insensitive and reassuring of how the authorities in India do not protect women against cyberstalking and threats.

Cyberstalking and bullying of Indian women journalists is common in India. The Coalition For Women In Journalism has been observing an unprecedented amount and types of threats to women journalists in India.

We request the international community of journalists to show solidarity with women journalists in India, and pressure the government of India, the media industry including newsrooms to take special steps to protect women journalists from mental, physical and life threats.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism also denounces the decision of Delhi police and urges them to reopen the case. Impunity only encourages perpetrators to bring more harm, we call upon the authorities to protect the dignity and reputation of journalists in the country.